The shopper walks into the store on Black Friday, and the first thing she sees is people everywhere. There are people snatching various items and shoving them into their cart. Everyone is rushing around, desperate to grab the next best thing on sale.

Sophomore Chloe Ching and junior Sam Catalano both have developed traditions of shopping on Black Friday and said they have found the holiday not only as a way to get good deals, but also as a way to bond with the people they shop with.

Ching said her Black Friday tradition began when she was seven or eight, and said she typically shops with her mother.

“There are good deals, everything is pretty much on sale… the thing I don’t like, obviously, is the hecticness of everybody there,” Ching said. “But usually some stores I like aren’t too crowded, but have good deals [and] I can get what I want at a low price.”  

Junior Sam Catalano said her tradition of shopping on Black Friday began three years ago. She said Black Friday first appealed to her mother and close family friends because of the good deals and low prices.  

“I think we just found some things we wanted, and we figured [Black Friday is] the best time to go and get them,” Catalano said.

Catalano, her mom and her family friends start their shopping on Thanksgiving night and get their spot in line before the stores open.

“We usually try to get [to the store] pretty early so we can grab what we need, and maybe shop around and see what else there is,” Catalano said.

Ching said she begins shopping on Black Friday morning and still manages to find good deals on items she wants to purchase.

“I get to spend time with my mom, even if there really isn’t anything we need to buy, we still just go out and walk around because it’s fun,” Ching said.

Science teacher Keri Schumacher said she has never shopped on Black Friday, due to the large crowds.

“I don’t enjoy crowds to begin with, so that’s probably my number one deterrent [of Black Friday],” Schumacher said.  I don’t feel like the items that are on special are necessarily things I’m needing or wanting to purchase.”

Despite the many people shopping on Black Friday, Catalano said she would still prefer to shop on the holiday than a regular day.

“[Black Friday] is just really fun, and that’s when we get all of our big items we’ve been waiting for,” Catalano said.

Schumacher said she and her family have their own Thanksgiving weekend traditions, one including putting up Christmas decorations on Black Friday.

“I like being with my family,” Schumacher said. “My kids like to set up the Christmas decorations and just [have] a relaxing day.”

This Black Friday, Catalano said she plans to buy many items, including a Wii U. Her group is planning to start their shopping experience on Thanksgiving night, like the years before.

“Last year we had the best experience because we got [to the store] really early,” Catalano said. “We were one of the first ones who got to go in and get what we needed, so we’ll try to do that again.”

Schumacher said she plans to never go Black Friday shopping, the only exception being if one of her kids had an interest in shopping on the holiday.

“As my kids get older, possibly, if they were wanting something or wanted to have that experience [of shopping on Black Friday],” Schumacher said. “I just don’t enjoy any part of the big crowds, it’s just not me.”

Ching said her and her mother are sticking to their usual Black Friday plans, which include getting up at around 8 or 9 a.m. and going to the Legends or Oak Park Mall.

“[On Black Friday] there’s more places you can go, so it’s more fun, because there are more shops I want to go look at,” Ching said.

Both Ching and Catalano said Black Friday shopping helps them bond with the people they shop with. 

“I feel pretty good [after shopping on Black Friday]  because I usually get something new, and it’s pretty fun because I get to spend a whole day with my mom,” Ching said.